The August drought of album releases is coming to a close. This week’s Viva la Mix is about the death of summer and the rebirth of new albums come September. So give your fingers a little warm-up stretch and get ready to “Right Click, Save Link As,” because after the jump we present 14 essential downloads from our latest Viva Radio show that we consider required listening at Flavorpill HQ. Enjoy!
1. The Big Pink – “Dominos” The mammoth single from The Big Pink’s upcoming September 14th release, A Brief History of Love. Fat hip-hop drums, huge techno synths, and of course, a catchy chorus: “These girls fall like…dominos, dominos!” Sorry ladies. [Download Now] via Pitchfork
2. Raekwon – “House of Flying Daggers” [ft. Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, and Method Man] Raekwon, of Wu Tang Clan Fame, is back. For those who missed the opening line, it’s “I pop off like a mobster boss/ Angel hair with the lobster sauce!” Yes, this track is fierce and aggressive. The “Wu” chant later in the song corroborates this fact. [Download Now] via East of LA
3. Wild Beasts – “All the King’s Men” The single from their impending sophomore release, Two Dancers, out September 8th. Describing their upcoming record, Wild Beast calls it “a series of scenes … a big party, the street outside later on, or in a bedroom, or desperately hungry and starving to death on a distant beach.” We’re guessing this one falls into the “the street outside later on” category. [Download Now] via Stereogum
4. Truman Peyote – “New Wife, New Life” As Pitchfork notes, the track is reminiscent of Animal Collective’s Strawberry Jam days, meaning fast, layered vocals, looped guitar and an unlikely danceable quality. [Download Now] via Pitchfork
5. Brown Recluse – “Contour and Context” A nostalgic track perfectly suited for the demise of our beloved summer. Brown Recluse’s new EP, The Soft Skin, is out September 8th. [Download Now] via Stereogum
6. The Gutsies – “Surfer Body” Brooklyn-based power pop, glorifying the surfer’s body one power chord at a time. [Download Now] via Soundbites
7. Zola Jesus – “Clay Bodies” Drowned in reverb and ominous percussion, Zola Jesus’s powerful voice shines through ghostly sounds for a beautiful contrast. [Download Now] via The Fader
8. Yoni Wolf – “Shoot the Singer (1 Sick Verse)” Why?’s frontman sparse piano rendition of the 1992 Pavement classic. [Download Now] via Pitchfork
9. Sondre Lerche – “Good Luck” Sondre explains the song as a “consolation for those who found themselves more seriously out of luck, and at the same time curse the idea that luck is related to some universal justice.” The track begins with an innocent twinkling guitar line, climaxing in a wild and jarring string arrangement, perfectly suiting the latter half of Lerche’s description. [Download Now] via Brooklyn Vegan
10. Cold Pumas – “Jela” Oddly pleasing, repetitive, blocky bass riff. Creepy echoing vocals. Sweet band name. [Download Now] via The Fader
11. Banjo or Freakout – “Upside Down” The video for this song features a posse of costumed people – man in a chicken suit, police officer, soldier, large man painted blue, etc – jumping into the ocean in slow motion. Then a beautiful blond girl switches the camera’s focus onto her. That’s what this song sounds like. [Download Now] via Stereogum
12. The Points – “Shout” The Point’s frontman, Geo, sacrifices his vocal chords for our sick pleasure of this brazen punk-rocking song. Enjoy. [Download Now] via Pitchfork
13. Broken Social Scene – “Love Will Tear Us Apart” Recorded for The Time Traveler’s Wife soundtrack, BSS gives us a slow, significantly less uppity cover of the Joy Division classic. [Download Now] via The Blisslist
14. The Antlers – “Epilogue” A poignant acoustic song from the band’s debut album, Hospice. The record has garnered much critical attention from both the big boys (Pitchfork) and the little guys (the blogosphere). Don’t be surprised to see this album topping everyone’s “Best of ’09” list. [Download Now] via Radio Exile